


Between the Lines

by abluecanarylite



Series: Soldier of Love [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Mass Effect 3 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-20
Updated: 2012-08-19
Packaged: 2017-11-12 12:32:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/491066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abluecanarylite/pseuds/abluecanarylite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Galaxy meets Vega during her time in prison and returns to the Normandy to find her close friend having fallen for a newly bodied EDI. Heartbroken, she finds herself finding solace in her friendship with Vega and throwing herself into saving the universe yet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Settling In

**Author's Note:**

> Drabbles set during Mass Effect 3, working with the canon Joker/EDI romance. These stories take the Soldier of Love timeline into Alternate ALTERNATE universe territory as I still want Galaxy to romance Joker, but the prospects of keeping a canon-ish storyline for her had me wondering how it would be if Galaxy/Joker turned into Galaxy/Vega (which really, if we can't have Joker, why not give us Vega? A real shame).

**Prompt: Settling In**

“Shepard!” Vega clapped Galaxy on the back as soon as he tossed his helmet onto the Cargo room floor. His relieved breathlessness helped to distract her from the fact that she had just left one of her dearest friends back on Earth. That she had just watched civilians – children – dying again on her watch.

His voice broke through her thoughts again. “You had me worried out there, _jefe_.”

Galaxy huffed a laugh, looking a little embarrassed by the sentiment. “Come on, James, I get shot at for fun, you know I can dodge a few bullets.”

He chuckled, Ashley looking between the two. “And here you were asking me if I knew the Commander.”

James shrugged. “I was charged with protecting Shepard for six months. I figured you two had known each other for longer.”

Shepard looked uncomfortable for a moment, the realization of how long she had been out of the world sinking in along with the memories of three years. Her past and present were suddenly too close together and it was making the room spin.

To think she was being thrown into the fray again.

She needed to wrap her brain around a sandwich before she said something stupid.

“Come on, you can fill Ash in while I see what the Alliance did to my ship.” Galaxy offered, starting for the elevator.

Ashley and James gave each other the same silent, curious look, questions forming between them.


	2. Breakfast in Bed

**Prompt: Breakfast in Bed**  
Galaxy woke, gasping for what air she had stopped taking in. The same nightmare again, the same dull ache of her entire body relaxing after a night of tensing muscles. Her medication wasn’t working.

A sudden knock startled her. “Yeah?” She yelped.

“Yo, Commander? You okay?” James asked through the door.

Shepard blinked, looking down at herself to realize she had actually had enough energy to change into her reg pajamas before bed. Getting up, she grabbed EDI’s hoodie off the side of the couch and slipped it on over her tank top to answer the door. She didn’t really think her reg shorts were that revealing, but when she opened the door, James’ eyes lit up.

She flushed a little, eyeing him. “Don’t tell me it’s already 0800, LT.”

He grinned. “0900, actually… ma’am. Was making breakfast and made too much. I thought you might like some. Didn’t think I’d be getting the eggs and legs special though.”

Thoughts of long legs and stripper poles filter through her sleep deprived brain, but she was sure her unphased blink unnerved him. It wasn’t the first time her subordinates had said the like about her farm girl physique. Of course, there was usually lots of booze involved, but she let it slide. When did regs ever help her in the long run?

Galaxy took the plate and stepped back towards her living area. “Come on in, I hate eating alone.”

“Funny, I haven’t seen you on the crew deck since you were released.” James pointed out, sprawling out on her couch. His eyes followed her every move, but she pretended not to see it.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of trying to save the universe here.” She cracked, sitting on her cabin floor so her food rested on the coffee table in front of her.

There was a laugh, but she kept her eyes down, taking slow bites of spice filled eggs and buttered toast. Someone must have snuck non-reg food onto the ship after touching base with the Citadel. She would have to thank them later – after she savored every bite of sausage.

“It’s good to see you eat.”

The comment startled her enough to cause Galaxy to look up. James usually unreadable eyes looked solumn. How long had it been since she had eaten? She thought she had at least had a bowl of EDI’s first trial run at cooking. It hadn’t been that bad actually now that she thought about it.

But time was starting to blur and the current state of things was beginning to outweigh her hierarchy of needs. Sometimes, she thought her ability to automatically breathe was waning.

The thought of shutting down terrified her.

Looking up from her plate again, Galaxy smiled. “Thanks for breakfast, James. Sometimes I forget to look after myself when I’m so busy looking out for other people.”

“Anytime, Lola.”


	3. Part Of Me

**Prompt: Part Of Me**  
“So Lola, you ever going to tell me about all these _gringos_ you’ve been picking up?” 

James sat heavily on her cabin’s couch and propped his legs on her coffee table. She couldn’t tell when the Lieutenant had started to get so comfortable around her, but his ability to relax in her quarters was astonishing - if not a little unnerving. He had also brought her a bottle of whiskey – she really needed to tell Liara to stop letting the crew in on her human side.

“ _Gringos_?” She sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know what that means, but it doesn’t sound right. These… “ _gringos_ ” are some of my closest friends, Lieutenant. They’ve been with me through a lot of… unfathomable things. They’re a part of me.”

“Okay, well, talk – you’re really good at that.” He grinned.

She felt herself shuffle from foot to foot. This wasn’t battle, she didn’t need to look for a way out this situation, but letting Vega in on more of her story felt strange without said friends around her. These were tidbits best shared over dinner in the crew quarters. Not in her vulnerable space.

But she bucked up and sat down across from him, pouring a small shot of whiskey to calm her nerves. If only her father was there to chuckle at her face as it burned her throat.

That thought calmed her. Her father would have loved to hear about each of her friends, no matter the hour or the situation.

“Where do you want me to start?” She curled herself onto the couch, preparing for a long night.

“Ashley say’s she’s known you and Joker the longest, how’d you meet her?”

The Shepard smile spread across her face. “I hope you like long stories, James.”

He gave his own slow, calming smile. “As long as they have happy endings.”

“Someday, all of mine will…”


	4. Old Spaces

**Prompt: Old Spaces**  
Mindoir. Shepard took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the familiar scent of grass winding up through the moors and over the hills to meet the ship docks. It made her eyes water, but she clench her jaw with determination.

Too bad the familiar sounds of her old colony were still loud and clear. Space cows called out to their calves, children laughing as they chased each other through the village streets. People rushed around, preparing for her arrival and they seemed to hurry even more at the site of the shuttle.

James looked confused from his spot beside her.

“I’ve seen the vids, I’ve listened to your stories – but Lola, is this really where you’re from?”

With a nod, she reached out and took his hand, giving it a tug as she stepped towards the colony. “ _Céad míle fáilte_ , James, come meet my people.”


	5. Moving On

**Prompt: Moving On**  
He could never dance with her – no matter how many times he knew she had asked. Jeff knew that now as he watched Vega pull Shepard up from her chair and coax her onto the dance floor of the Alliance award ceremony. She flushed, embarrassed by the crowd like she always was, but the smile breaking across her face gave her away. He’d seen the look before. How many times had he seen it during their late night talks in the cockpit? His best friend, his commander – too good, too strong, too close.

He had broken her heart. It was obvious, in all the little things she said – but Galaxy Shepard had survived the onslaught of her people, her life, and her home. The universe didn’t know what it had – but he did. He knew and it was better if she was safe in someone else’s arms then his.

Living, breathing beings…

He swallowed his thoughts and smiled back as Shepard caught his eye. Her eyes were cautious, testing, as if worried at what she’d see if she scanned the room. He knew she had seen him and he smiled wide, raising his glass her way.

That smile cracked his heart again as she looked back at Vega’s face, the Lieutenant whispering something into her ear. She pushed away to swat at his chest, but he sent her into a slow spin before drawing her back in to a kiss that made several tables chitter just a little louder then usual.

Someone would have a picture of the two on the extranet before they could break apart, and the thought actually made him chuckle.

Maybe it was time to move on. His friend was happy – he was happy – and wasn’t that all they could ask for after everything?


End file.
